Dallas Cowboys

Tony Romo's Impact on Dallas Cowboys' Salary Cap

The Dallas Cowboys and Tony Romo appear closer to a mutual split, but how the two part ways will have an effect on the quarterback's salary cap hit.

Per spotrac.com, Romo's 6-year $108 million contract with the Cowboys would carry a hit of $24.7 million against the team's 2017 salary cap if he remains on the roster.

If the Cowboys release Romo as a "post-June 1 designation," as ESPN reported, he would count $10.7 million against the 2017 salary cap and $8.9 million against the 2018 cap. The $14 million in saved cap space would be available to the team Friday.

Releasing Romo after Thursday also allows Romo to sign with another team at any time.

If Romo files his retirement paperwork and he is not released by the Cowboys, the team will retain control over Romo if he decides to return to playing, which NBC Sports reported was possible. His cap hit would be the same as if he were released, but it could be split across two years.

The Cowboys had reportedly explored trading Romo, but his lucrative contract — he'll count $25.2 million against the cap in 2018 and $23.7 million in 2019 — precluded them without restructuring.

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